The 10 Worst Monopolies
As we all know, monopolies are a blight on humanity and are a blemish worth removing. Even when they do something right, they do about a thousand things wrong. When we have corporations in charge, it only turns ugly, and they end up swallowing or destroying other companies entirely. They have no good reason to exist, but not all of them are bad, right? Well, if a company becomes a monopoly, then the intentions are never good, and they always end up doing something wrong. There’s no avoiding it, but we always sit idly by as they continue their destruction of humanity. We think that we need them, but there’s proof that, with some limitations, we do not need them. There are always better solutions out there, and some of them even include reasonable competition. These are the 10 worst monopolies, period.
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The worst thing about monopolies is the incessant greed involved. They run their corporations like businesses, and a business never wants to fail. This practical fact is then excused and taken to it’s logical extreme by CEOs. When we enable this kind of behavior, we end up losing ourselves in the process. Not only do these monopolies own most of what is out there, but they are also trying to own everything. They are happy where they are, but all of them want in. There is never an end to it, and it ends up turning into a wanking contest. If we allow these people to maintain control, then we are essentially allowing them to own everything. This is already the case, but they want to add strings that are attached to everything else. It’s the control that they want, and it leaves us at the bottom every single time.
The 10 Worst Monopolies
1. Standard Oil Company
As we all should know, monopolies have been around for a long time. They’re nothing new, and they’ve existed since near the beginning of the industrial revolution. Some of the most profitable companies in the world were started then, and it gave rise to the republic of billionaires. If we want to go far back enough, then we may even have run into a scheme that a founding father wanted to run. Everyone was trying to get their piece of that new democratic pie, and the end result left much to be desired. Unlike other corporations on this list, the magnates of the past were more shrewd and distasteful in their compromise. Oh well, at least they gave it their best shot though, right? Well, this is not necessarily the case, and we will soon understand why.
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One of the worst monopolies was started in 1870 by John D. Rockefeller, who became the richest man in modern history. He even was able to accrue a fortune of nearly half a trillion dollars in current revenue. Rockefeller had already come from a con artist’s background, as his father was a traveling salesman. This guy even wanted to run the world, and it only makes sense for the time that oil would be it. Someone had to get it started, and looking back at it, the standardization of oil was key. Not only did they run nearly all of the oil production and transportation, but they also ran just about refinery and oil well. Before the supreme court dissolved the company in 1911 (unlike the next item on this list), their rapid expansion owned nearly 91 percent of all oil in the United States of America.
The 10 Worst Monopolies
2. The United States Steel Corporation
When discussing monopolies, we can understand that they’re all disgustingly bad. Even then, some of them are a lot worse than others, which seems hard to believe. Regardless of this, most monopolies are run by billionaires and are essentially unfettered Ponzi schemes. They end up filtering money to the top, and it creates a cash flow that allows one lousy person to be in charge. The end result gives us nothing more than a rich man with big pockets, a fat mouth, and endless profits. Afterall, there’s no avoiding it, but the worst of the worst happened when we were just figuring it all out. The riches of kings were one thing; however, the world had changed. When the time came, acclimating the rich to a so-called democracy in charge was a slight change of pace.
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The United States Steel Corporation was one of these problems, and they wore their greed on their sleeves. If you cannot win on your own, then combine your powers of three to make the selfishness grow. In the end, this is exactly what happened in 1901 when J.P. Morgan and Elbert H. Gary combined their companies. The Federal Steel Company, Nation Steel Company, and Carnegie Steel Company, at this point, joined forces. They were already big on their own, and they even won many of the lawsuits thrown against them. When they were in change of nearly all (67 percent) of the steel production, they decided to rob even more riches in spite of their stocks going down. The U.S. Steel Company then decided to buyout other companies, and before long, they were the largest steel company in the world.
The 10 Worst Monopolies
3. The Patent
It only seems natural for something like a monopoly to happen, so what is so abundantly wrong with it. Every company wants to gain riches, and it’s solely a matter of business that obstructs the way ahead. We can all see the writing on the wall, but does this mean that we should just grin and bear it. You see, although monopolies are usually large, some of them can be petite in size. For a period of time, they can get away with it, especially if it’s an new and interesting idea. However, new and interesting ideas are hard to come by these days, making the idea of a lucrative business notoriously difficult. In fact, this is exactly why people end up staying in charge of the market that we pretentiously dictate. At least to me, this seems like marketing gone awry in the worst possible way.
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Joining forces and glorified backstabbing are very common among business-minded profiteers. The sole-proprietors end up taking up stock, and the ingenuity of creative invention gets lost to patency. Some of the companies, like U.S. Steel, are still around, but things have changed for the worst. We continue to print out money, and the billionaires are continuing to grow in number. Inflation is rising, and bare-knuckled practicality is getting lost to financial and political philosophy. When we allow people the right to grow given the amount of money that they have, we decide to indulge in madness. The more that we allow this to happen, the more that we give in to unforgivable ideals. Furthermore, in the process of keeping this train going, we make it harder to escape it’s inevitable demise.
The 10 Worst Monopolies
4. Amazon
When it comes to owning certain things, it’s alright to market a specific products or services. However, when a company decides to copyright simple necessities, we begin to run into problems. Not only do companies do this to drive up profits and prices, but they also use it to force a narrative to skyrocket supply and demand. As a matter of fact, these devious tactics are just one thing, and them getting found out is another. Regardless, it’s a given that our economy works this way, and any robust monopoly is responsible. At this point, it’s not simply about stealing selling rights away, because it’s also about overpowering everyone else through manipulation and strongarming. In the end. is this something that we should find at all acceptable in any way whatsoever.
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Although Amazon is not technically considered a monopoly, they are well on their way to becoming one. Their business practices are proof enough, and how they treat their employees is a telltale sign. Just about every unemployed person ends up hired by amazon as well, and this may even begin to take up all of the jobs. In addition, if we’re to talk about wealthy people, then we cannot ignore Jeff Bezos and his net worth. Even then, this is not the reason for it’s inclusion on this petty list. We can even understand that Amazon works with other companies, but this is barely enough. Then again, there are plenty of reasons to include Amazon here, even if it seems like, at least for these reasons, they would be better suited for exclusion. In fact, this and a slew of other typical malpractices are evidence of this certainty.
The 10 Worst Monopolies
5. Anything Elon Musk (Space X and Tesla)
Having a patent for something is one thing, but trademarking every kind of basic need is another. When you begin to monopolize, you’re essentially pushing the rest of the competition away. For more context, these companies even run certain small ownerships out of business. Afterall, there is no such thing as a good monopoly, because what they become is the ultimate issue. Even then, competition is what keeps things reasonable, but at the same time, it can run stale. The economics seldom work out, but they work out well enough; we find a way around them. Some of them are even evil enough to make themselves known before they become large. This even means that if they have the money, then they have the money to lose to make their business venture work out.
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Tesla is a micro-monopoly, but they are probably one step away from attempting their move. They have stock in electric cars, and something similar can be said for the other companies like Space X. When looking at this, it not only gives us a chance to understand the ethics of power-hungry billionaires like Elon Musk, but it gives us a new perspective. Just like the last item on this list, we have to consider new ways of thinking about monopolistic behavior. It is psychology 101, and the more we accept the truth, the less we will make exceptions for this attitude problem. When we think about it, certain companies deserve to have their duplicity pointed out early on anyway. Although it may not be their intention to turn themselves into a conglomerate, they smell of tax evasion and pseudo-intellectualism.
The 10 Worst Monopolies
6. Microsoft
Many of the corporations on this list are American, but can you blame us. We are the marketing kings of bullshit, and corporate America is the leader around the world. Other countries are no better, but America is primarily the focus right now. You see, there are not too many monopolies, but that’s a part of the problem. Then again, there really cannot be too many of them, as they are all reliant on controlling everything. If a company is doing something bad enough or has enough subsidiaries, they can even quality ahead of time. This means that the people who run these nasty corporations are dastardly. When they need these patents so aggressively, it’s not only about reserving their intellectual rights, because it’s also about having more money. This then goes on to become a greed that is never satiated.
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If we want to mention one of the big names though, then we have to mention Microsoft. They may not be the worst monopoly on the planet, but they certainly are noteworthy for their time. From the beginning, they used the same cutthroat tactics that Google and Facebook have used in the modern day. Under the guise of sportsmanship and a desire to be at the top, the rose back in the 1990s. They, or Bill Gates, have origins dating back to the 1970s, and they own at least 75 percent of the market share for operating systems. If we want to talk about technological advancement, then we can mention them, especially when it comes to OS software and gaming consoles. As I look at it now, this is more than enough reason to include them on a list that would appear small anyway.
The 10 Worst Monopolies
7. Facebook (and Other Social Media)
You see, a monopoly doesn’t require it to have control over every aspect of a service or product. The only thing that they need is a large enough stock in said product or service. At this point, it’s mostly about how many services they are taking over and what their ultimate intentions are. Something like social media is no different, but the reasons for it’s monopolization are a little more understandable. Unfortunately, this does not mean that people are not being taken advantage of. Why is this? It’s because they take advantage of things like advertising revenue from acquisitions from WhatsApp and Twitter. If you want to take this charade even further, the owner of Facebook even wanted to interfere with elections. This is what these CEOs want, and we can do little about it.
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Startup companies trying to follow suit and essentially bought or shutdown because of low traffic. Many of them would even be better alternatives, but Mark Zuckerberg wouldn’t have that. This little man wants to be the forerunner of the media space, and it’s working. Afterall, it is about the service you provide, but sites or apps like Facebook already have their foot in the game. Some of these companies would even be better suited for monopolization or would not fall for it, but then again, any company would. Unfortunately, it just happens to be the unfortunate way that things end up working. This is why it is important to hold these simpletons responsible for what intelligence is supposed to be. Then again, if you can be considered a monopoly without actually being one, then you’re a problem.
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Technology corporations are the new frontrunners when it comes to the modern age of monopolies. They may not all be considered monopolies, but many, like Facebook are certainly on their way. If they are not yet one, then they soon will be, and it’s enough to consider it a done deal. Although it seems okay, it really isn’t, even though we still have nearly everything at our disposal. Like Google, they are controlling who and what we see and got away with doing things for free.
The 10 Worst Monopolies
When it comes to things like social media, they hold an extensive portion of the market share. They even had the opportunity to do things for cheap, as they started mainstream social apps. At this point, they are the world leaders in social media, and there’s barely room for more advancement. It also goes to show that without this dominion-based internet, we have nothing left to fight for. We need the internet to thrive; however, we need more than this to win.
The 10 Worst Monopolies
8. AT&T/The Bell Telephone Company (and Other Telephone Companies)
Everyone wants to float in riches, but these people never seem to understand the problem. They will excuse the irresponsibility of the wealthy shareholders, but the reason for it is often misplaced and selfish. If we want to be in charge, then we will have to work for it; however, the average business owner does little to make it work. There are even problems in this country related to inheritance wealth, so it only makes perfect sense. When a company ends up getting big, it required a lucky and simple idea, the willingness to be divisive, and a bunch of employees. The money should not only collect at the top, but this is what ends up happening. No one makes it work on their own, but this does not stop the average CEO from collecting the extensive leftovers.
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When it comes to telephone companies, you really cannot get worse than companies like Verizon and AT&T. Not only do they get in bed with Google, but they also find sneaky ways to pin expensive upcharges on you without you knowing. As always, the worst of it started with the Bell Telephone Company, but it did not become bad until later on. Alexander Graham Bell held the patent for the first practical telephone back in 1876 and formed this company a year later.
The 10 Worst Monopolies
They had control over his patents for the telephone, and they became the first and largest telecommunications company in the world. They rose to the status of a monopoly in the early 1900s, and they became so big that they could buy anyone else out. In 1918, the government awarded AT&T a contract to essentially build the telephone line network for the country. After a while, they lost their grasp on the telecommunications industry as new options became available to the public. This then became the mainstream, but it does not mean that they’re not all working together to some degree in screwing you.
The 10 Worst Monopolies
9. Monsanto
Even when a monopoly decides to display their creative side, the generosity seems misguided. There are better ways to go about our business, but no matter what, a corporate run business will run to failure. The banks usually do not care, and they can eternally get themselves out of trouble or debt. However, the usually own the banks to some degree. We hear the excuses every day, and they never seem to end. The banks are usually involved, and we care little about it for the sake of a market economy.
The 10 Worst Monopolies
If they want rip you off, then they will do so as they please. Even if they are not overtly evil, they certainly do not have decent gloves on and, and they have stern competition. In the end, if we want something good, then we are going to have to make the sacrifices that are necessary. It may not always be easy, but allowing the corporations to control us is the last thing we need to excuse. Even though we’ve always been doing it, there’s little reason to keep this train going.
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The internet is important, and without it, we would not have an ability to easily understand the world around us. If we’re to look up things about Monsanto, then we will notice a lot of problems. When it comes to shady business dealings, this corporation is the worst. They are an agricultural, chemical, and biotechnology company, but their ability to keep things interesting is their best quality. Not only do they patent their own plants, but they also find ways to make you spend more money.
The 10 Worst Monopolies
A good example of this is when they produce seedless corn so that you have to buy more seeds. If you end up retaliating in any way, then they will sue you out the wazoo. There’s no doubting that they got their reputation from acts like these, and it’s no surprise. When it comes to a monopoly, they are certainly the worse ones out there, period. Just be sure to understand that they own 80 percent of the corn and nearly all of the soy plants. If this does not get you all fired up, then nothing will.
The 10 Worst Monopolies
10. Google
As we all know, Google is essentially a monopoly, and they have made good use of their influence. The power that they have has left many people broke, and they end up causing a path of destruction. Not only do they own expensive endeavors such as Alphabet, but they also own sites such as YouTube. They are an undercover marketing company, and they will do anything to bite their own original standards. If you provide no “meaningful” input, then you are squared away and blacklisted. This is the way that they work, and there is little that we can do about it. They got away without even trying, and it’s only because of the oligarchs in charge elsewhere. We may even be able to say that they are swallowers instead of spitters in spite of their insanely cheap service that involves money for ad space.
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When talking about Google, we have to understand how they are trying to constantly sell you advertisements. This is what the rich boys in charge wanted, and it works well in Silicon Valley. There was no rags to riches story involved here, and it gave them everything but a PhD. If we want to get pushy, then we can also mention how they have pushed other search engine options to the brink of doom. If they do not own it, then it means that they will be bought up or completely destroyed in a matter of time. They may even shut you up in the process and make you entirely irrelevant when relying on their lousy AdSense service. When push comes to shove, you really only have one option when searching online, and this option makes it harder to search each and every day.
The 10 Worst Monopolies
Ending
When we look at the capitalist market and economy, no wonder we have so many monopolies. Even if we wanted to include honorable mentions, then the list would be almost endless. We can include companies such as Intel, Railways, Luxottica, and even a small casino in Malaysia. Some do little harm, but any monopoly does harm depending on what they’re trying to control. Even though I have mentioned Google before, they are not necessarily the worse in history or even now. As we learn to understand it, people are the problem, but the problem comes from the institutionalized ideas. Then again, there’s always room to be a better monopoly, even if it means that it ultimately makes no difference. This and the fact that I am writing this are proof enough of this.
The 10 Worst Monopolies
Although the internet is important and Google is trying to take it over, there is little risk involved. When push comes to shove, monopolies at least trying to control our crops, military weapons, or medicine are directly the worst. The problems with monopolies is that they never know when to stop having their influence. Their dedication comes from a desire from power no matter what a person feels about it. Even patents are considered a monopoly for being somewhat complicit in the process of intrusion. Not to mention that there are talks of just about every monopoly on this list, so no one is left out. You even have monopolies using and helping other monopolies, such as Google and AT&T. They run an almost symbiotic relationship, and this is how people often get in charge for themselves.
The 10 Worst Monopolies
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